Heartache and Pain
by PhantomFan01
Summary: Charlene Marie Rose has faced many great trials in her life and so has Erik Destler. What happens when Erik Destler descendent of the Phantom himself meets the deeply traumatised and hurt Charlene? Will she steal his heart or will he forever remain unattached? Rated M for rape.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys this is a new story I thought up of :) But don't worry I haven't abandoned my other two stories but just had to start writing this one :) I only own my own character Charlene...I don't own any of the characters from Phantom :) Anyway...let my story begin!**

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**Heartache and Pain**

**Chapter one: Prologue**

**Charlene's POV**

I am Charlene Marie Rose and this is my story of the day when my life changed forever.

It was the day after my thirteenth birthday and my parents had thrown a big party with the few friends and close family I had to celebrate this special day with me. But before I could make a special birthday wish and blow out the candles there was a huge explosion and several people were thrown to the side never to get up again. Some of those people lost to me were my closest friends but most of them lost to me were close relatives. I had no time to shed tears as I saw three men enter the house and they immediately left me with the most horrible choice. Do I go with them and have the most miserable life working for their boss but for what purpose I wasn't too sure or do I lose my parents by refusing their orders? I shook my head with tears falling heavily down my cheeks knowing I couldn't make a decision under so much pressure.

"Come on child make your choice! You are trying our patience!" They yelled.

"Please don't make me choose!" I begged pleadingly.

"You will choose or we will make the choice for you!" They demanded. I looked them in the eye and had a feeling they were completely serious with their intent although I wasn't completely certain whether the feeling was right or not. I then heard a gunshot that stopped my heartbeat for a split second. I looked up and saw one of the men put a gun away. I cried out in anguish as I saw the bodies of my parents lying on the floor. I ran towards their bodies and knelt by their side.

"No! No! No! You can't leave me! I need you! Please wake up I couldn't bear it if I lost you!" I pleaded whilst tears fell heavily down my cheeks. I didn't even hear the men leave or notice anyone come in; all I could focus on was the sheer feeling of loss I felt as I had lost pretty much all of the people I cared about in my life.

"Come on Miss we need to examine the scene for any evidence." I faintly heard someone exclaim to me gently.

"No I will not leave them!" I yelled angrily at whoever dared disturb my moment grieving over the death of my family and friends.

"Please we know you are grieving but if we are to catch the men who committed this crime then we need to look for evidence before the scene is too contaminated." They exclaimed gently again. I was then led away gently by someone whilst some other people went into the room to; I presume look for evidence.

After an hour and a half or so I was allowed back into my house. But after all that had occurred I couldn't bear to live in the house that held so many painful memories for me. I then decided to leave my home and find a job as a maid or something where my employer would provide accommodation for me to live in. But where could I go to live in? Could I even handle living with complete strangers? I then knew I couldn't handle living with complete strangers and I also knew that there was a high possibility that no-one would employ a girl of thirteen.

Well I guess there is only one way to find out and that is to go out into the world...


	2. Chapter 1

**Heartache and Pain**

**Chapter one: ...Y****our heavy hands are hurting me**

**Charlene's POV**

It has been five years since that faithful day where I lost everything I cared about but the pain wasn't over yet. I had been living on the streets trying lots of different ways to earn money from playing my recorder to performing poi. But I never resorted to selling myself to men as I could never do that to myself. I wanted to perform that kind of act with someone special and with someone who loved me and cared for me. I was able to earn just enough money each day to get some food and then I would find a park bench or a shop entranceway to sleep in. There have been times though when I have been chased out of an entranceway because I am supposedly trespassing but luckily I haven't had any encounters with the police yet.

But today was the day my life would be changed forever. I was trying to find shelter after a long day earning money on the streets and just as I saw a shop entrance I could hear voices belonging to three men. Why did these voices sound so familiar to me though? It was like their voices had triggered a memory from the deep recesses of my mind. I decided to just keep walking and hope they would just ignore me as I didn't need a confrontation right now. But no matter how fast I walked I could still hear them behind me and I just couldn't shake them off. I still also had this feeling that I had heard these men somewhere.

"Come on girly why don't you show us a good time?" Oh no why did the men who murdered my friends and family all those years ago have to come after me now of all days?! I looked around hoping someone would notice these men harassing me but then I realised I was all alone in the middle of the night. I know I took karate classes but now being in a situation such as this all the moves I learnt had sort of left my memory and I couldn't find them again. But I had been worrying so much about losing them that I eventually found myself at an alleyway and a dead end.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for you my dear. And let me say since the last time we saw you all those years ago you have grown into such an angel. Our boss would love to meet you and get erm... acquainted with you." One of the men exclaimed coldly. What did he mean when he said 'acquainted' and why was he so nervous when he said that word? I looked at them determinedly and raised my fists in the air ready to fight them when necessary.

"Oooh look Gerald, little angel's ready to get rough with us. Well we do enjoy a girl with spirit don't we Stephen?" One of the men exclaimed to the other two who I now knew were called Gerald and Stephen; although which man was which I couldn't tell.

"Awwww come on Joseph let me sample her first!" One of the men begged towards the biggest guy there.

"No Stephen! I am second in command so I have the privilege to sample her many 'delights' before the boss does. I mean we need to know whether she will please the boss or not don't we?" He exclaimed angrily before giving a wink to Stephen with a slight smirk on his face. No I wouldn't let this man Joseph steal my innocence in such a brutal way and ruin my first time for me! Yet again I raised my fists and when I saw him approach me I threw a punch at him. However, all he did was push my feeble attempt at defending myself and when I threw a kick at him all I did was hit him in the shin.

"Awwww come on girlie if you are to hurt me you'll have to do better than that!" Joseph exclaimed gruffly. I then felt him grab me by my collar and threw me roughly to the floor. I felt my head come in contact with the pavement and for a moment my vision blurred and I began to lose consciousness. But I had to stay awake otherwise they would hurt me for sure. But soon enough I succumbed to unconsciousness.

I couldn't tell how long exactly I had been out for but the first thing I noticed when I had woken up was a sharp pain in my arm and I screamed as liquid dripped down my arms. I then realised the liquid was my own blood and the fact that Stephen and Gerald were cutting something into my arm using a knife. As the knife dug into my flesh again I screamed even louder than the last time.

"Shut up or I will have to silence you!" Joseph shouted before proceeding to slap me round the face causing my head to snap back. When the knife cut into my arm again I bit my lip until it started to bleed to prevent myself from screaming otherwise he would find other ways to silence me. I then looked up when I heard rustling and saw him taking his trousers off. I knew what was going to happen next. Why didn't I ever find out about the act I would cherish until my wedding day from my mother? I tensed when I saw him naked from the waist down in front of me. He then ripped my dirty rags from my body and harshly grabbed one of my breasts which caused me to wince in pain. I tried to get away from his wandering hands but Stephen and Gerald then proceeded to hold me down as they had obviously finished cutting my arms with their blades.

"One false move and we'll slit your throat!" They demanded whilst one of them held a knife against my throat. Yet again he grabbed my breasts then proceeded to kiss me on the lips. I tried to get away but he held me by the back of my head and pulled me closer to him. He then forced his tongue into my mouth whilst groping my body with his free hand. I then tried to scream when he inserted a finger into me; but my screams were muffled by him kissing me.

"Still a virgin I see. We'll have to see to that immediately." Joseph exclaimed coldly whilst gasping a little for air. I shook my head rapidly whilst tears started to fall down my cheeks.

"Please don't hurt me." I begged tearfully.

"Oh don't worry, the pain won't last, afterwards you'll experience pleasure beyond your wildest dreams." He exclaimed reassuringly; or at least trying to be anyway. I then saw him approach me and I had a rough idea what was to happen next...


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Here is the next chapter :) There is a M rating for this and my first rape scene. Any constructive criticism will be welcomed; anything that isn't constructive criticism will have Erik coming after them with his Punjab lasso...you have been warned! Anyway my fellow readers; on with the show :)**

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**Heartache and Pain**

**Chapter two: All alone in the moonlight...**

**Erik's POV**

I was taking a walk along the street like I do every night. Ever since I left my parents at the age of ten I have lived on the streets until a kindly gentleman called Nadir Kahn took me under his wing when I was 16. I ran away from my parents due to the mistreatment they gave me because of the deformity which I had on the right hand side of my face. I have always had this deformity for as long as I can remember and I believe I was born with it. However, no doctor has been able to explain its cause or been able to treat it. I enjoy walking in the nighttime because no-one is there to judge you and the darkness hides my deformity unlike the garish light of the day. As I walked down the street hoping a melody would tease my ears I heard a scream and decided to keep on walking. But I heard something like a female pleading with someone and something told me to go and help them. I ran towards the location of the noise and saw three men and a girl; two of the men were cutting the girl with a knife and the other man was towering over her and I knew what he was going to do to her. I tried to think of the best plan to save her without hurting her any further as the men had knives and could kill her if I interfered but at the same time I couldn't bear to see an innocent woman raped by three men like this. But before I could think any further the next scream I heard would haunt me for the rest of my life and I ran into the darkness and stood by and watched to wait for the right moment to strike.

**Charlene's POV**

I was still fighting with all my might but my strength was waning and when Joseph inserted a finger inside me again I screamed and tried to get him off me.

"I'll say you're ready my little angel." He exclaimed coldly. Ready for what though? But before I could think any further he thrusted into me and I screamed as it felt like my body was being ripped in two. I couldn't find the strength within myself to stop him so my whole body became numb to everything around me and all I could hear was a rushing through my ears almost like running water. I didn't even register very much when Stephen and Gerard thrusted into me as well. The last thing I saw before I surrendered to the darkness was something white floating in front of me and I presumed it was the angels coming to take me away to be reunited with my parents.

"Don't worry mother, father, I'm coming soon. You'll be reunited with your little angel for eternity." I mumbled as darkness engulfed my entire vision...

**Erik's POV**

After scaring those three men off of the girl I slowly walked over to her to see her just lying on the ground. At least she collapsed because I don't know how she would react to seeing a guy towering over her especially a guy in a mask. I wanted to help her since Nadir and I are rape counsellors and so she will need all the help she can get after her ordeal with those three men. I also needed to treat the wounds on her arms before she bleeds to death. Why would anyone carve the words 'disabled freak' into a person's arm though? Was there significance to these words? Looking down at the girl made me realise how beautiful she was even with bruises and cuts gracing her features. What are these feelings surging through me? I can't be caring for someone already when I have only just met her can I? With thoughts swirling through my head I realised I had reached the front door of our luxury flat in Mayfair and knocked firmly three times on the door.

"Alright, alright I'm up!" I heard him yelling mixed in with some curses in Persian.

"Erik what on earth are you doing knocking at this hour and what have you done to her?!"

"You know me; I like to take my usual midnight stroll. And you also know I would never hurt a woman don't you? I just witnessed her being raped and injured by three men and she needs medical treatment immediately unless you want to deal with a body instead of a traumatised person." I replied with a slight edge to my tone.

"Right, place her in the guest room and I'll deal with her injuries immediately." He exclaimed and I quickly carried her upstairs and placed her gently under the covers to make her as comfortable as possible. Nadir then came in a moment later with the first aid supplies plus a needle and thread to stitch up her wounds.

"Do you think she will stay unconscious long enough for me to stitch up her wounds?" Nadir questioned.

"To be honest I haven't felt her stir or heard anything since her ordeal. If need be I will send her to sleep with my voice." I replied matter of factly. Nadir nodded and proceeded to stitch up the wounds on her arms.

After about half an hour or so all of her wounds were stitched up.

"I've done the best I could but there could be some scarring due to the fact the wounds were quite deep when they were inflicted." Nadir exclaimed matter of factly. I looked at the girl again and wondered when she was going to wake up.

"I'll stay and watch over the girl tonight." I exclaimed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nadir questioned curiously. My anger flared and I grabbed him round the throat and yelled angrily.

"Yes I know I'm hideous and the Devil's Child but that doesn't mean she will hate me the moment she lays eyes on me. Once I explain to her I am the one who saved her then she will be grateful with the fact I saved her life." I then noticed Nadir was starting to turn purple so I let him go and he fell to the floor clutching his throat weakly.

"I didn't mean that comment to insult you; you really need to control your temper otherwise you might scare her. She has been through enough already and she could potentially be scared of us when she wakes up. Now am I mistaken or do you care about this girl already?" Nadir exclaimed.

"No way, you know I have never loved anyone in my life so why should now be any different?" I questioned whilst denying his question.

"I guess you're right; you're just concerned about the girl's well being. That's perfectly understandable since we are supposed to counsel rape victims and all." Nadir replied. I then decided to make some tea for both of us and hopefully when we come back up the victim would have woken up; perhaps then we could find out her name and then help her heal from her ordeal.

As we stood talking downstairs in the kitchen I suddenly heard a scream and we both ran upstairs knowing our victim had finally woken up. I got into the room first and saw her sitting up on the bed with a wide-eyed look on her face. I could tell she was a little shocked at finding herself in a strange room and bed. Her eyes then fell onto me and she immediately scrambled out of the bed towards the balcony. The next thing I knew I saw her trying to climb over the railing and I instinctively grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back inside.

**Charlene's POV**

When I woke up the first thing that hit me was a bright light then my eyes immediately fell upon the two men standing on the doorway. The one that frightened me the most was the tall man with dark hair and a white mask on the right side of his face. I immediately ran towards the balcony hoping I could escape from these two men who could potentially hurt me. I was in the process of climbing over the railing when I was grabbed around the waist and I instinctively kicked and flailed hoping I would escape from their grasp. I heard them mutter a curse and I ran towards the door; but I forgot the other man and he tried to stop me in my tracks. But I pushed him out of the way and escaped down the stairs. I pulled open the front door and ran down the path. But when I reached the gate I looked around and realised I had no clue where I was. I then turned around and looked back to the flat and saw the two men after me again. All I could do was stare at them in panic as they approached me. The darker man with a turban stood back a little but I saw the masked man try to approach me slowly but I kept backing away hoping he would leave me alone. However, I couldn't bring myself to say any words to ward him off.

"It's ok; I'm not going to hurt you." I heard him exclaim reassuringly. I then vowed to myself I would never trust another man again. I wanted to scream to try and get him to leave me alone but couldn't bring myself to scream so continued to back away from him.

"We are here to help you; we're not going to hurt you, you just need to trust us." The masked man exclaimed. I then felt the tears falling heavily down my cheeks and I shook my head as I continued to back away from the two men who kept coming towards me.

"Please listen to us. We are rape counsellors and we saved your life. We are here to help you heal from your ordeal; but in order for you to heal we need you to trust us." I thought for a moment then realised they weren't going to give up on me and were going to keep trying to help me until I trusted them. I then decided to trust them until I have healed then I will escape and live my life exactly as I did before; on the streets, stealing what I need in order to survive. I slowly went towards them and they led me back towards the flats where they lived. Looking up at them I realised how rich they must be as these flats are usually really expensive due to their location.

When we finally got inside I went straight up to my room as I felt exhausted; both emotionally and physically from my escape attempt. But that night I was plagued by constant nightmares of my ordeal from the night those three men raped me. I then woke up screaming knowing one of the men would come up to see why I was screaming; probably they were thinking I was in danger or something.

"Are you ok?! We heard you scream." They questioned simultaneously. But I couldn't bring myself to reply.

"Are you in danger, is that why you screamed?" One of the men questioned. I shook my head in reply.

"Was it a bad dream?" The masked man questioned and I nodded in agreement.

"I'll sing for you to help you sleep." He exclaimed and before I could respond his voice echoed around the room and wove its magic spell sending me into a dreamless sleep...


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi guys so this is chapter three :) Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed my story :) Love you guys! :D Anyway I don't own any of the characters from Phantom apart from Charlene :) Let my story begin!**

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**Heartache and Pain**

**Chapter three: Aching arms avoid accepting the aching in my head**

**Charlene's POV**

When I woke up the first thing I noticed was a slight ache in my arms where the stitches were and the next thing I noticed was the masked man sleeping with his head on my bed and I jerked out of the way quickly. This action caused him to wake with a start.

"Are you ok? Are you in pain? Another bad dream?" He questioned quickly. I nodded my head once then shook my head twice in reply.

"Do you want something to eat? I could prepare some breakfast for you if you want me to." He questioned. I thought for a moment about whether I wanted to eat anything or not. If I starved myself long enough I could leave this miserable excuse for a life; but I knew if I refused food outright the masked man and his friend would start asking questions. So knowing I had no choice but to accept I nodded my head in assent.

"I'll be back momentarily with your breakfast." He exclaimed matter of factly before promptly leaving out of the door and closing it gently behind him. I then decided to get dressed for the day after having a bath first. But I then realised I had nothing to wear except my torn garments from the night before. At least they hadn't tried to change my clothes and I must have been asleep for quite some time under the covers. I then realised when I made my first escape attempt I was still in my torn clothes; those men could have taken advantage of me but they didn't. Did that mean I could trust them?

"No..." I told myself.

"I would never trust another man again after my ordeal." I continued to think to myself. There was a knock on the door and after pulling the covers over my body and waited for them to enter my room. But there was no sign of them entering and I realised they would not enter the room unless I allowed them to; but yet again I couldn't bring myself to talk and was now in a dilemma as I needed to say something to let them enter otherwise they wouldn't be able to bring me my breakfast. I then got up and wrapped the bed sheet around my body and went towards the door to open it. I then went back to my bed and they placed the tray on the bedside table and left me to eat my breakfast. Little did they know that I was planning to only drink but never eat any food they give me. If I wouldn't trust another man for as long as I live then there was no point me living my life any longer. No man would love a mute girl who was disabled and ruined like I was so I would remain lonely for the rest of my life. But what do I do to make it look like I have eaten the food? My eyes immediately fell upon the balcony railings and so I threw the food out of the window and it landed in the hedge below. Now all I had to do was wait for starvation to take effect and soon I would be able to join my friends and family for eternity.

**2 weeks later...**

**Charlene's POV**

It had been two weeks since I began my hunger strike and I was lying weakly on my bed waiting for death to claim me. I just about registered the knock on the door but didn't have the energy or the will to answer it and just as darkness was about to take over I heard the faint noise of a door opening. I then let the darkness take over knowing I would join my parents and my friends soon in heaven.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a bright light; am I in heaven?

"She's waking up! We can take it from here doctor. Thank you for your assistance; you may go about your business now." I heard a voice exclaim matter of factly which confirmed I was still alive.

"Come on you need to eat something." The voice exclaimed which sounded like it belonged to the man wearing the turban. I then felt a spoon being pushed against my lips but pulled my head away. When he tried yet again to feed me I used some newfound strength to hit the spoon out of his hand. I then proceeded to get out of the bed but a pain shot up my arm which caused me to stop immediately. When I looked down to see what the exact cause of the pain was I saw a needle in my arm which was connected to an intravenous drip. I guess that was how I was able to wake up and get out of bed as I remember before that happened I was lying weakly on my bed waiting to die. I got to the door and pulled it open before proceeding to get out of the flat as quickly as possible. But before I could even get out of the front door I felt someone grab me by the wrist and I instinctively kicked and struggled out of their grasp.

"I'm not going to hurt you! Now let me take you back to bed so I can give you something to eat." I shook my head constantly not wanting this man to give me anything to eat. I mean he could potentially drug or poison the food and then take advantage of me when I am unconscious or just murder me instead.

"Please I need you to eat something. You were out for a week and we had to call in a doctor to put an intravenous drip in your arm to get you to eat. He also gave you some medicine to stop you from becoming pregnant after your attack so you shouldn't have any unexpected pregnancies after your ordeal. But I don't like seeing you hurting yourself like this. I know you have been hurt and you don't fully trust us right now but one day you will understand I would never, ever do anything to hurt you." He exclaimed reassuringly. When I looked into his eyes even though I found it hard to read people's emotions due to my mild autism there was a little something telling me I should trust him. But could I bring myself to trust this man after I have only known him for a short while? I then stopped struggling and followed him back to my room and tucked into the food left out for me straight away.

"Once you have finished eating you can have a bath. I'll leave some clothes out for you to wear." I looked up and tried to smile but couldn't bring myself to so once I finished eating I went straight into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

When I came out of the bathroom half an hour or so later I got out of the bathroom and put on the jeans, t-shirt and jumper that was lying on the bed. Strangely enough they fitted me perfectly but I wasn't about to question how he knew my size. I guess he must be good at guessing sizes by looking at someone or something like that. After letting my hair down from its towel wrap and brushing through it I looked around and wondered what I was supposed to do with myself. Should I risk going downstairs or should I wait in my room until I am called for? I then heard a knock on the door and answered immediately.

"I see you have finished having a bath. Why haven't you come downstairs yet? There are many things you can do; including watch TV. It is fully at your disposal to use to your heart's content." The masked man exclaimed. I thought for a moment then nodded and followed him downstairs to the sitting room.

"Here's our entire DVD collection; pick out whatever films or TV programmes you like and I'll show you how to work the DVD player." He exclaimed and I went straight over to the cabinet to pick out the things I wanted to watch. After being shown how to work it I was left to watch as many programmes as I liked.

I can't tell how much time had gone by but I paused the programme I was watching when I heard plastic come in contact with wood and I looked across to see a tray filled with food which I ate as I continued to watch my programme.

It had been several hours since I began watching programmes on the widescreen TV and I could feel my eyelids drooping. Before I could bring myself to get off the sofa I fell asleep almost immediately.

**Erik's POV**

It had been a while since I left the girl to watch TV and when I went in after several hours I saw her peacefully asleep on the sofa. She looked so peaceful and I couldn't bear to disturb her. But she also looked so uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa in her current position. I moved her as gently as possible so she was lying properly on the sofa then placed a blanket gently over her body to keep her warm at night and I hoped she would have a peaceful sleep not graced with nightmares.

It was the middle of the night and I was still awake as I didn't require much sleep. I was about to take my usual night time walk when I suddenly heard a thump then a loud high-pitched scream which caused me to run downstairs in panic. I could just about hear Nadir following behind me in a panic too.

"Why isn't she in her room?" Nadir questioned breathlessly.

"Look, can we discuss this later once we know exactly what is going on." I replied quickly. When we got to the sitting room I saw the girl lying on the floor with a nasty looking head wound that was bleeding a little.

"Ok now we know what is going on can you explain to me why she is sleeping on the sofa rather than the bed?" Nadir questioned with a slight edge to his tone which I hadn't seen in a while.

"Whilst watching TV she fell asleep and since she has had trouble sleeping before I couldn't bear to disturb her. Also I didn't want to scare her by having her wake up in the arms of a strange man." I replied matter of factly.

"Well we better take her upstairs and get the doctor here to treat her head wound. I understand your logic on leaving her down here to sleep but we have to be careful that her nightmares don't wake her and cause her injury again." Nadir exclaimed with a calmer tone this time. I nodded in agreement then picked the girl up from the floor and took her upstairs. I noticed how quiet she has been but I think she will come out of her shell soon.

**Charlene's POV**

When I woke up the first thing I noticed was a sharp throbbing in my head and then I noticed I was back in bed. But how did I get here? And why does my head hurt so much? I decided to try and ignore the throbbing in my head and get on with my day; but when I got out of bed I was immediately hit with a dizzy spell and gripped onto the bedside table to stabilise myself. I heard a knock on the door and tried to get to the door to answer but instead fell to the floor which caused the person on the other side to open it almost immediately.

"You're not supposed to be out of bed yet! You sustained a head injury last night after falling off the sofa. You need to stay in bed until the dizziness passes." A voice exclaimed and when I looked up I saw the man with the turban coming towards me. But instinct kicked in and I crawled away from him as quickly as I could; but more dizziness hit me and I started to feel slightly nauseous.

"Nadir you are not helping; let me handle this!" The masked man exclaimed. So the man with the turban was called Nadir; I knew he definitely wasn't English so I wonder where he came from originally?

"Erik I can handle this!" Nadir yelled angrily. So the masked man did have a name and that was Erik. I loved the way his name sounded; it had such a mysterious nature to it. However, the other mysterious thing was the mask which he wore on the right side of his face. But do I dare take it off? No I won't break this man's trust; after all he did save my life and he has let me stay in his home so I can't bear hurt him like that?

"Why am I thinking about this man's feelings all of a sudden?" I thought to myself. I should just take it off and satisfy my curiosity but how would he react? He could get angry at me or even worse rape or kill me.

"Come back to bed, you will feel better. You need to rest for another week or so until your head injury has healed." Erik exclaimed with a slightly pleading tone. I agreed and allowed him to lead me back to bed.

It had been a week or so since I sustained my head injury and I was back to watching TV and eating dinner on my own. But I still don't trust Erik and Nadir yet. But one day I was going to find out a little more about Erik...


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys so here is chapter four :D And we have an appearance of Christine for the first time in the story :) I don't own any of the characters from Phantom apart from Charlene :) On with the show people :D**

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**Heartache and Pain**

**Chapter four: Music of the Night**

**Charlene's POV**

The next morning I got myself ready for the day and wondered whether or not I should go out for a walk. Could I bring myself to go outside after my attack? I decided to go downstairs to help myself to breakfast then it can help me decide whether or not to go for a walk in the park that was nearby. I got downstairs and proceeded to make myself some toast. But where did he keep the bread and the butter? I would ask someone for help but I couldn't bring myself to ask them where anything is. I mean I shouldn't trust them even though they have looked after me for quite a number of weeks since the incident. Maybe I will be able to trust men eventually but is it all worth it in the end? I mean what man would love a disabled freak like me? I rubbed my arms unconsciously still feeling the scars I sustained from that night; I still had nightmares about my ordeal and would be wide awake for the rest of the night. I am usually scared to fall asleep in case the nightmares come back. The only thing that helps me to sleep at night is Erik's singing voice. I didn't realise he had such a beautiful voice until that first night when I had a nightmare and he sung me to sleep. As I continued to look through the cupboards I suddenly heard someone coming up behind me and jumped out of my skin.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing?" Erik asked. I just looked at him without saying a word then went back to looking through the cupboards.

"Do you want some breakfast?" He questioned and I nodded quickly in agreement.

"Do you want some toast? We should have some bread in the cupboard." He questioned and yet again I nodded in reply. I then saw him get some bread out of the cupboard next to the fridge and even put it in the toaster.

"Why don't you help yourself to some fruit juice or water from the fridge whilst I make your toast for you?" Erik exclaimed and I went to the fridge for some orange juice to put in the glass that was on the tabletop. I then sat myself at the table drinking my orange juice whilst waiting for my toast to pop up.

"There you go, buttered toast just the way you like it." Erik exclaimed which startled me a little as I was in my own little world for a moment. I nodded and started eating my toast.

"I've got some important work to do in my office today but Nadir will still be here to keep an eye on you. But I will be back this evening in time for dinner. See you later." I nodded and went back to finishing off my toast. I then decided to go on a walk but not telling Nadir. I just needed some space for a while away from the flat as I have been cooped up in here for too long now. After washing my dishes I took my coat and went out of the door knowing Nadir was in the study and won't notice my leaving let alone my absence. As I walked around the park I decided to sit by the water's edge to watch the birds swimming on the water's surface especially the swans. I saw two together and knew they were mates as swans mate for life. Could I find someone that special and spend the rest of my life with them? I have always wanted to find someone special in my life but didn't know whether a guy was interested or not and the first relationship I had only lasted two months and then he broke up with me because I wanted a meaningful relationship but he wanted a sexual one which I wasn't ready for. I haven't really had a relationship with another guy since. And now after this rape incident I don't think I could bring myself to have another relationship ever again. Just as I decided to go back I heard someone call my name. I turned around and my heart stopped in my chest for a moment. But why was he here of all places? I thought I would never see him again after the relationship ended but he was here now in front of me.

"Look I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot after the relationship but can we at least be friends?" He questioned. But could I trust him after what he done to me? I didn't answer but instead ran all the way back to the flat. But I didn't make it as I was grabbed by the arm and I instinctively struggled even though they had a gentle grip on my arm.

"What are you doing out here?! Nadir was supposed to keep watch. What were to happen if someone kidnapped you or hurt you? I couldn't live with myself if anymore harm was to befall you." He exclaimed firmly and I looked up to see Erik staring down at me with his hand around my arm. Was that concern in his eyes or was I imagining things? I thought to myself. I then followed him back to the flat and went up to my room. But before I got to the door I heard him yell out Nadir's name angrily and decided not to get involved as I knew things were about to get ugly.

After about half an hour I noticed things had quietened down and decided to go downstairs to watch some television before dinner. I soon could smell dinner cooking and turned off the TV so I could eat dinner at the table before Erik and Nadir eat their dinner as I couldn't eat with them quite yet. After finishing dinner I washed my dishes and went to the bookshelf to read a book. But for some reason I couldn't concentrate on any of the words and decided to turn in for the night.

The next morning I awoke to beautiful music and I got out of bed to find out where it was coming from. For some reason I couldn't resist following the music and I eventually found myself in what I believe to be the music room. I just stood in the doorway whilst listening to the music echo around the room. When I was awoken from my trance I realised where I was almost immediately and ran out of the room. But before I even made it out of the door I was grabbed around the wrist and I heard a voice exclaim.

"Why are you leaving so soon? I could tell you enjoyed my music very much." He exclaimed.

"Why don't you trust us? It's been a while since I rescued you and every time I touch you flinch or move away from me. You know I would never hurt you don't you?" He questioned curiously. I nodded but still didn't say a word. Erik didn't have any more to say and left the room to get on with some work I presume.

**Erik's POV**

It had been three months since I rescued the girl from them three men that night and she still hasn't said a word and rarely does near us since that night. I think she has gone mute after her ordeal and decided to talk to Nadir about our next course of action in order to help this girl heal after her ordeal.

"Nadir what shall we do about the girl? She hasn't talked in three months and we still know nothing about her. Do you think she won't talk to us because we are men?"

"That is a possibility yes since she had such a traumatic experience associated with men. Maybe she will open up to someone of her own gender. Don't we have a colleague at the office that is female?" Nadir replied.

"Yes we do actually. I'll call Christine right now and ask her if she can come round in the morning to have a chat with our guest." I replied quickly and I got up to make a phone call so I can talk to my colleague called Christine.

After spending an hour or so on the phone I realised it was approaching dinner time and knew I had to cook dinner for our guest as she would probably be quite hungry by now but when I looked in our fridge I realised we hadn't done any food shopping since last week and we have run out of food. What would we have for dinner now though since there is no food in the house? I then decided on ordering a takeaway as I was too tired to cook or shop for food. I decided on a simple Indian meal as I wasn't too sure what our guest liked and things were quite awkward between us right now. After ordering I got the plates and drinks ready; one set was put on a tray to allow our guest to eat it in the privacy of her room or in front of the TV, whichever she felt more comfortable with.

**Charlene's POV**

I was just sitting in front of the TV watching some episodes of Doctor Who and I realised I hadn't heard from Erik in a while since our encounter in the music room. My thoughts would occasionally drift back to the music he played. I never realised he could play the piano but who composed the piece of music he was playing? I didn't recognise it from a well known artist so who composed it? I went back to watching TV when I heard the doorbell ring and that's when I heard footsteps approaching the door and open it. I couldn't really hear what the two people were talking about so I went back to watching my programme.

"Dinner's ready for you. I'll leave your dinner on the table for you." Erik exclaimed suddenly and when I looked up I saw him carrying a tray with a plateful of rice and curry with a na'an bread and poppadom on the side. I then ate my dinner whilst watching another episode of Doctor Who.

After several hours of watching TV I felt my eyes droop slightly and surrendered to the darkness as sleep took over.

When I woke up the next morning the first thing I saw was darkness and I tried desperately to find a light switch. I have always hated the dark for as long as I can remember and haven't really outgrown it yet. When I finally found the light switch I realised I was back in my room. But how did I get here? Last thing I remember was me sitting in front of the TV watching Doctor Who episodes and the next thing I knew I fell asleep in front of the TV. Did Erik carry me up here? I mean if he did carry me up here why did he do it? He could have left me on the sofa to sleep the night but instead he took me upstairs and tucked me into bed. I think he did it because he was concerned about me sleeping on the sofa after the previous incident that happened when I hit my head whilst sleeping on the sofa. Why has he helped me so much though? I decided to ponder over my thoughts later and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. When I got downstairs though the first thing I noticed was a strange woman sitting opposite Erik talking whilst eating breakfast. Was she his girlfriend or lover perhaps? They did look so happy together. Why did this worry me though? Am I feeling jealous that someone could potentially love Erik rather than me? I shouldn't be jealous though should I?

"Ah I see you have met Christine; she is a colleague at the office I work at helping people like yourself." Erik exclaimed matter of factly. I just looked at her with a sense of distrust but I wasn't sure why.

"Hello my name's Christine. Would you like to tell me what your name is?" She exclaimed. I shook my head and turned away from her slightly.

"I know you won't trust me right now but if we keep meeting up like this for a few more weeks I think we should become firm friends." Christine exclaimed kindly. I crossed my arms and shook my head with a frown on my face. I would never become friends with her; she has Erik for a boyfriend, she is prettier than me and she hasn't got a disability like I do. Put it straight she is everything I want to be but not what I am in real life.

"Come along why don't we sit in your room and talk?" Christine questioned. But yet again I refused and instead I ran out of the room and locked myself in the bathroom.

"Wait come back!" I heard Erik yell but I kept myself locked away in the bathroom and wouldn't come out even when Christine and Erik knocked gently on the door.

"Will you please come out?! What is with the distrust all of a sudden? Christine is here to help you heal; nothing more. Please come out and talk with Christine even if it is for five minutes. Just please come out." Erik pleaded from behind the door. I thought for a moment then decided there wasn't any harm in talking to her for a few moments. I proceeded to unlock the door and came out of the bathroom.

"Now why don't we sit in the sitting room and have a talk?" Christine questioned and I followed along behind her.

"Now before we talk how about you tell me your name first?" Christine questioned kindly. I looked at her for a moment then shook my head rapidly and just ran out of the room and lay on my bed crying until I fell asleep...


End file.
